Time controlled device



July'14, 1936. E. v. ESTRELLA v 2,047,180

TIME CONTROLLED DEVICE Original Filed Sept'. 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Shet 1 l y .NVENTOR as: V 7

July 14, 1936. ELLA 2,047,180

'IIIE CONTROLLED DEVICE Original Filed Sept. 1a, 1936 2 Sheets-Shut 2 immumm- NVEN OR W f @MMM Patented July 14, 1936 TIME CONTROLLED DEVICE Eugenio V. Estrella, Washington, D. C.

Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 482,875, September 18, 1930. This application August 2, 1933, Serial No. 683,400

5 Claims.

This application is a substitute application reiiled for my abandoned application Serial No.

482,875, filed Sept. 18, 1930.

My inventionrelates to time controlled device for closing and opening an electric circuit, the invention being mainly designed for the circuit of a parking light of an automobile, but it can, of course, be used for other purposes.

The general object of my invention is to provide means for closing the circuit at any predetermined time and then to open the circuit at any predetermined time thereafter.

My invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a front view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1 Figure 6 is a section on line 6--6 of Figure I;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing how the hour hand of the clock engages the conacts;

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a schematic disclosure of the circuits, and

Figure 10 is a detail view showing the setting means for the alarm mechanism of the clock.

In these drawings, the numeral I indicates a casing which may be supported from any suitable part of the motor vehicle and the numeral 2 indicates an alarm clock whichis fastened to a slide 3 which is removably arranged in the casing so that the clock can be removed whenever desired. An arm 4 is suitably fastened to the alarm key 5 of the clock and is insulated therefrom and when the alarm mechanism starts to operate, this arm will engage a switch arm 6 pivotally arranged in the casing and cause said switch arm to engage a contact I so as to close a circuit in which the arm 6 and contact I are arranged. A spring 8 normally holds the switch arm in open position. This arm is connected by a conductor 9 with a battery B or other source of current and the contact 1 is connected by a conductor ID with a terminal I I. A spring switch arm I2 of substantially U-shaped formation is pivoted to a part of the casing and the terminal II is carried by this part. This switch arm I2 is connected by a conductor H with the other terminal of the battery.

.An armature I5 is pivoted to a part of the casing and when in its upper position, will engage the free part of the spring arm l2 and press the same against the terminal H so that when the switch arm 6 is moved into engagement with the contact 1 by the arm 4 which is actuated by the alarm mechanism of the clock, the circuit to the lamp will be closed through conductor 9, parts 6 and I, conductor l0, terminal ll, spring arm l2, conductor l3, through the lamp and back to the battery B through conductor l4. Thus by setting the alarm mechanism to operate at any desired time through the usual setting means, shown at H5 in Figure 10, the circuit to the lamp will be.

closed at this time. 1

A pair of electro-magnets I1 is located in the casing and when energized, will attract armature l5 downwardly to permit spring switch arm l2 to break contact with terminal ll thereby to open the lamp circuit.

A plurality of contacts I 9., one for each hour, is

carried by a partition 20 in the casing and the hour hand 2| of the clock is adapted to engage these contactsduring its movement; A plurality of contacts 22 is arranged on a part of the casing and each of these contacts 22 is connected by a conductor 23 with a contact in I9. A finger 24 is rotatably arranged with any one of the contacts 22 and this finger is connected by a conductor 25 with the battery B. A conductor 26 connects a terminal 21 with a terminal 28 adjacent the magnets, the terminal 21 being electrically connected .to the clock by a spring arm 29. A spring switch arm 30 is fastened at one end to a part of the casing and its other end normally engages the terminal 28, but when the armature I5 is attracted downwardly by the magnets, said armature will move the switch arm 30 out of engagement with the terminal 28. The switch arm 30 is connected by a conductor 3| with a terminal 32 which is connected with one of the magnets by a conductor 33 and the conductor 34 connects the other magnet to a terminal 35 and this terminal 35 is connected by a terminal 36 with thenegative line I4.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by setting the alarm mechanism of the clock to operate at the time it is desired to turn on the lamp, when said time arrives, the arm 4 will move the switch arm 6 against the contact I and thus close the circuit to the lamp, it being understood that the armature i5 is in raised position pressing the spring switch arm l2 against the terminal II. In this position of the armature, the switch arm 30 is in engagement with the terminal 28. The finger 24 is set on that terminal 22 which indicates the time at which the circuit to the lamp is desired to be broken so that when such time arrives, the hour hand 2| would engage the terminal l9. The circuit to the electromagnets I! would thereby be closed. The circuit can be traced from battery B, through conductor 25, finger 24, contact 22, the conductor 23 which serves to connect the particular contact in 22 with a corresponding contact in It, through the hour hand and the clock, through conductor 26 to terminal 28 which is engaged by the spring' arm 30, through said spring arm and conductor 3! to the magnets. Thus the armature l5 will be attracted by the electro-magnets and as it moves downwardly, it will push spring arm 30 away from the terminal 28, thereby breaking the circuit to the electromagnets. The downward movement of the armature also permits the spring switch arm l2 to swing away from terminal ll so that the lamp circuit is also broken. It will thus be seen that I have provided a mechanism which will automatically turn on the lamp at a predetermined time and to turn ofi the lamp at a predetermined time thereafter.

The owner of an automobile equipped with the device herein described would be enabled to do away with troublesome procedure of having to turn on the parking light in the evening andturn it oif again early in the morning. By the use of my device the automobile owner can obtain longer life on his battery, he can sleep on in the morning without having to worry about how, when or who would turn the parking lamp off.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent. It is to be understood however, that the above description has been made merely to illustrate the preferred embodiment, that changes in construction may be made therein and that the combination and arrangement of the several parts may be changed and altered without in the least departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and for which I pray that Letters Patent may be granted to me are the following:

1. In combination with a parking lamp and a source or current included in a circuit, a normally open switch in the circuit, a clock having an alarm mechanism, means connected with the alarm mechanism for closing said switch, a normally closed switch in the circuit including an armature and magnets positioned to attract said' armature, a set of contacts arranged adjacent the clock -and engageable by the hour hand thereof, a second set of contacts electrically connected with the first set, a finger adapted to be moved into engagement with any one of the contacts of the second set, means for connecting the finger to the source of current and means for electrically connecting the hour hand to the magnets whereby the magnets will be energized when the hour hand engages a contact which is electrically connected with the contact engaged by the finger so that the armature will be attreated and the second switch will move to open position to break the circuit of the lamp.

2. In combination with a parking lamp and a source of current included in a circuit, a normally open switch in the circuit, a clock having an alarm mechanism, means connected with the alarm mechanism for closing the switch, a normally closed switch in the circuit including an armature and magnets positioned to attract the armature, a set of contacts arranged adjacent the clock and engageable by the hour hand thereof, a second set of contacts electrically connected with the first set, a finger adapted to be moved into engagement with any one of the contacts 5 of the second set, means for connecting the finger to the source of current, means for electrically connecting the hour hand to the magnets whereby the magnets will be energized when the hour hand engages a contact which is electrically connected with the contact engaged by the finger so that the armature will be attracted and the second switch will move to open position to break the circuit of the lamp, and means whereby the magnets will be de-energized by the attraction of 15 the armature.

3. In combination with a lamp circuit, a pair of normally open switches in said circuit, an alarm clock, means whereby the alarm mechanism thereof will close one switch, an armature which, when in inoperative position, will close the other switch, a magnet for attracting the armature to permit the said other switch to open to break the circuit, a circuit for the magnet,

a normally closed switch in said second mentioned circuit, said last mentioned switch being moved to open position by the armature when said armature is attracted by the magnet, a plurality of contacts arranged adjacent the clock and with which the hour hand of the clock engages, means for connecting the hour hand of the clock to the circuit for the magnet, a second set of contacts, each of which is electrically connected to a contact of thefirst set, a manually adjustable finger for engaging any one of the contacts of the second set, said finger being arranged in the circuit for the magnet. I

4. In combination, a clock having an alarm mechanism, an electric circuit, a source of current for said circuit, a switch in said circuit, means for keeping said switch normally open, means provided upon said mechanism whereby to close said switch when said mechanism operates, a second switch comprising a resilient arm tending to keep said second switch open, an armature arm adapted to keep said second switch closed, a, second circuit, means in said second circuit including a set of contacts in operative relation with the hour hand of said clock whereby to actuate said armature to allow said second switch to open after said first switch has been circuit when contacted by the hour hand of said clock, means included in said second circuit comprising an electro-magnet and a second set of contacts for' opening said second switch at a predetermined time after the first switch has been closed and means in said second circuit for breaking said second circuit after energizing said electro-magnets.

EUGENro v. ESTRELLA. 

